Crisis in Iraq: What's Next?

Turmoil in Iraq is ongoing, as ISIS (the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) continues to take over Iraqi cities.

6/23/2014

Turmoil in Iraq is ongoing, as ISIS (the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) continues to take over Iraqi cities. Mosul and Tikrit were captured earlier this month; now Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is attempting to regain control of the country against the Sunni militants.

Numerous Iraqi civilians have volunteered to undergo military training to protect their country. It is possible that they could go into battle with only one week of training; the government says the new troops would be put with trained military professionals and police to prevent the soldiers from forming Shia militias.

Meanwhile, Shia militants have flocked to Sadr City, potentially preparing to attack Sunni neighborhoods in an ethnic cleansing campaign. Thousand of civilians in the area have already evacuated Sadr City in preparation for the worst.

Fighting for the Baiji oil refinery and the Haditha dam continues. The oil refinery supplies 40 percent of the nation’s petrol and the dam sends water and power to Baghdad. If insurgents were to gain control of either water or oil, the effects would be detrimental to the success of the Iraqi military.

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